The prior art includes a number of trigger-type dispensers in which a selected shroud can be attached to the pump body. The prior art includes, for instance, the Hellenkamp U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,721 issued Jun. 28, 1974, wherein, for the purpose of identification, a shroud bearing an identification number can be snapped onto the body of a pump.
More with a view to satisfying consumer desires as to the appearance of the dispenser, there is the Cary et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,539 issued Mar. 24, 1981. In this patent, during assembly the front end of the shroud is hooked over the front end of the pump body with the rear of the shroud high in the air. In the final assembly motion, the rear of the shroud is pressed downward to snap over an edge of the pump body in an over-center installation.
Foster et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,121 issued Nov. 22, 1994, has a shroud formed with forward hooks which fit into appropriate openings in the pump body when the shroud is placed on the pump body.
The attachment of the shrouds of the prior art to pump bodies has not been as readily accomplishable by automatic assembly equipment as has been desired. Further, the attachment has lacked sufficient security to hold the body and shroud together as a unit in a reliable manner.